With the screams of kids enjoying carnival rides and the wafting smells of fried foods, the telltale signs of the Northwest Washington Fair can mean only one thing: early autumn is just around the corner. However, if this year’s weather proves anything like last year—and frankly, many years—we still have nearly two months of summerlike weather ahead of us, so now is no time to give up on the garden. [...]
Gardeners are by nature learners. This hobby we call “gardening” is not one to be mastered—with new plants, new insect and disease issues, and weather conditions constantly in flux, the school of gardening has no graduates as we all learn more skills and gain fresh knowledge with each passing season. As spring unfolds, you may be discovering new issues around your yard you need to address, so let’s dive into [...]
We gardeners are drawn to shiny new things—the lure of something new causes us to browse seed catalogs, stroll the aisles at garden centers, and try to convince our spouse to carve out just a little more flowerbed space. Admittedly, new introductions are exciting, but what I find most attractive are improvements on tried-and-true plants—something old, made new. As you get started with planting shrubs and perennials around your yard [...]
Late summer in the garden can be both a challenging and rewarding time, with increased insect and disease issues at a time when plants are their most productive or beautiful. You’ve cared for your garden this many months, watering, fertilizing, and carefully tending to your plants’ needs—so let’s finish the summer strong. Here are a few tips to keep your garden healthy and looking its best as fall looms just [...]
Puffy white clouds in a bright blue sky, tassled sweet corn beginning to mature, and dahlias in full bloom—this is summer in the Pacific Northwest. After a delayed start to the warm weather this year, we’ve finally enjoyed some real summer temperatures and sunny days in the last month. As your garden offers the best of its summer glory before the decline into autumn, here are some tips to [...]
Plants don’t lie: vegetable gardens are giving the last of their abundance and the maple trees are showing the first of fall reds in their uppermost branches. Regardless how firmly we try to grasp the fading rays of summer, the seasons march on and autumn is arriving. As you gear up for the new season, here are a few tips to make the most of early autumn around the [...]
At last, flowering trees and spring bulbs are in bloom, lawns have reawakened, and new life is bursting forth everywhere—spring is here! Amidst April showers, this month is an exciting time to spend outside in the yard, tending to your lawn and garden and discovering exciting new plants to replace those killed or damaged by winter’s cold and desiccating winds. First, April is the perfect time to apply preemergent weed [...]
They call it the ‘dog days of summer.’ The month of August is traditionally a beautiful time in the Pacific Northwest, and so far, this month is shaping up to be just as nice as ever. Although it’s not a season when many people make a long to-do list for the yard, there are some simple tasks you can undertake in the next weeks to give you a healthier, [...]
It’s hard to believe, but in just a couple weeks, summer will be over—at least for those of you who have children going back to school. In reality, though, summer in our corner of the world typically runs from July through September, so summer is only halfway over. Now the big question: are your flowers looking up to the challenge of the second half of summer weather? If not, [...]
